Voice of the Martyrs, 14^th September 2023

Pastor Filadelfo, a former drug trafficker who is now an evangelist, has been jailed repeatedly for his gospel witness and was kicked out of his village for refusing to renounce Christ and return to the traditional religious practices of the village.

Because of the prayers and support he has received through VOM, Filadelfo is able to continue to share the gospel in Southern Mexico, praying for the sick and providing Bibles to believers who don’t have one.

Recently, he prayed for an elderly woman who was sick, and she placed her trust in Christ. He provided her with discipleship materials to help her grow in her walk with Christ.

Specific areas within southern Mexico have a high concentration of indigenous minority groups. These minority communities, which maintain a separate identity and language, are systematically oppressed by local authorities.

Christians among them are persecuted by Marxist and animist groups as well as village leaders. Tribal leaders persecute Christians in defence of their indigenous culture, and the federal government allows this.

These communities are remotely located and difficult to reach. Despite persecution, the number of Christians has continued to grow in these areas.

Voice of the Martyrs, 14^th September 2023

Following a surge in security measures along China’s North Korean border, an intricate network of security cameras, watchtowers and other surveillance infrastructure has been established.

The heightened security measures, particularly evident along the eastern river, make it increasingly challenging for North Koreans to flee their authoritarian regime.  Movements of diplomats and foreigners in the area are under nearly constant watch.

Satellite imagery has revealed substantial upgrades to Chinese border security along the river since 2019.

A network of security cameras is a primary means through which Chinese authorities monitor their North Korean border. Cameras, approximately 328 yards apart in some areas, provide continuous surveillance coverage. 

Almost 12 million North Koreans, nearly half of the population, are undernourished, according to U.N. data.

Heightened border surveillance has produced a rapid drop in defector numbers with only 67 reaching South Korea last year compared to 1,047 in 2019.  China’s lockdowns and travel restrictions make it nigh impossible for Koreans to escape from China.

Coupled with China’s long-standing policies criminalising aid to North Koreans in need along the border, these restrictions pose a challenge for humanitarian aid.

Church in Chains, 29^th August 2023 (excerpts)

China’s Administration of Religious Affairs drafted more restrictive religious regulations on 1 September 2023.

Online magazine Bitter Winter says, “In this case, the final text of the Measures… is even worse than the draft”.

China Aid says they “continue to suffocate religious freedom in China.”

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin says, “They obliterate the space for Bible-believing individuals to operate.”

Leaders of China’s government-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement have sworn allegiance to them.

Some of the 76 new measures state how Religious Venues must support the CCP and restrict church activities.

Article 3 states: “Places of religious activity shall uphold the leadership of the CCP and the socialist system.”

Article 27 stipulates that religious leaders must “love the motherland and support the socialist system”.

Article 30 orders religious leaders to “support the leadership of the CCP and practise socialist core values.”

Article 36 requires “Places of religious activity to regularly study the policies of the CCP.”

Article 39 stipulates that “sermons shall reflect core socialist values”.

Article 71 warns that “a place of religious activity shall be punished if established without authorisation.”

Joshua Project, 20 September 2023

The Lezgin people of Ukraine are a Muslim group that live and work in brutal weather conditions. Even though the Lezgin are Muslim, they have not relinquished their pre-Islamic belief in the spirit world.

In recent years, some Lezgins have come to faith in Jesus Christ. However, their numbers are so few that they cannot form a fellowship even in Ukraine, the “Bible Belt” of Eastern Europe. Most of them live in Russia’s Caucasus region, one of the least reached parts of the world.

Islam is an obstacle. Being Muslim in a Christian culture like Ukraine means they must actively try to retain their culture.

Followers of Christ can attend Lezgin cultural events and actively learn to appreciate their music and stories. If someone learns enough about their music, they can spread the gospel in a culturally relevant, non-threatening way.

Pray for a movement to Christ among Lezgins in Ukraine and in Russia. Pray for the Lezgin people to see beyond Lezgin culture and identity and give a fair hearing to the gospel. Pray for the Lord to thrust out loving and patient ambassadors who will disciple new Lezgin believers.

International Christian Concern, 28th August 2023

As a religious minority in Egypt, Christians face various pressures to convert to Islam. Women, and particularly Christian widows, face uniquely harsh pressures. When even one family member decides to convert to Islam from Christianity, that decision brings a communal shame to the whole Christian family, even in their own Christian community, family, and church.

One recent case of a Christian family highlights this shame in Egypt. The daughter, who is in her 20s, met and fell in love with a Muslim man in her workplace and a few months later disappeared, having apparently converted to Islam to be married to this man. As a result of the stigma attached to their daughter’s conversion, the father was forced from his job and a younger daughter had her engagement broken off since other families did not want to associate with a family whose daughter did such a thing as convert and elope with a Muslim man.

Egyptian Christians face daily challenges in their communities from the pressures of the majority society around them. ICC continually helps families facing these pressures to remain strong in their faith and to encourage those experiencing shame and stigma in their communities resulting from these types of incidents.